Mistake
by dark hope1
Summary: Eriol has a talk with Xiao Lang that he will never forget.


The heavy rain started to lighten up just when he got into the café. Sixteen year old Eriol sighed. Maybe he shouldn't have come to the café. He was given enough signs that he shouldn't already. His glasses being relocated by Nakuru accidentally in the morning while she was looking for something in his room, Nakuru burning breakfast, Spinel going hyper in the morning, and without the help of Nakuru. Of course all of these things he could handle on a regular day bases. But not when a new newspaper boy was being chased by a neighborhood dog crashed into his window or when two younger boys playing catch, accidentally throwing the ball too far and fast causing his window to break yet again, right after he finished fixing it with magic. Twice.  
  
But there was a new café that opened and he really wanted to go to. First is because it an English café so they would be severing his favorite kind of tea; English tea. And second is because the owner was a sorcerer, so over half the staff were sorcerers and most of the costumers were too. But of course it started to rain heavily when he left his house and lighten up when he got to the café.  
  
But no matter what the signs told him, he just had to go to that café. Every gut and instinct told him so. That there was something that he should see or know. And every sorcerer knows that you should always follow your instinct. That is what helps you in times of trouble and danger. It is what helped you when you have no time to think.  
  
The café was nice and had a cozy appearance. The staff all smiled at him and some of the costumers too. They all knew who he was. It wasn't that hard to tell once they checked his aura. They knew who he really was. Some of them knew personally him and like-wise. Then he went to sit down at an empty table and ordered and English tea and a piece of cake.  
  
It wasn't long when he was half way through his tea and cake that he found out what made every fiber inside him pull him towards this café despite all the signs. The door opened to reveal a boy around 16, same age as Eriol, hardly wet and dressed in black pants and a dark green shirt. To say Eriol was surprise was an understatement. Of all the things that Eriol Hiragizawa was expecting, this is not one of them.  
  
Everyone with magical abilities turned to the door and simply stared. There was something about the boy, about his aura that caught their attention. For one, it was scanning them. As if trying to determine friend from foe. Another was that it was powerful. Very powerful. You could tell by the way he was hiding it. But it wasn't like he was horrible at hiding his power. Oh no, he hide it very well. But it was one of those things that your gut tells you no matter how much you try and convince yourself that it's not true. Then there were his eyes. Even those without magical powers could tell that that was something about this boy that made him stand out from the rest. Just by looking at his eyes. They were amber and hard. They told of seeing things that most teenagers should never see. That they witness things far beyond human comprehension. Now they were looking around the café until he spotted another boy. Which happens to be our dearly beloved Eriol.  
  
The boy from the door walked towards Eriol's table and sat himself down on the empty chair across from Eriol. Slowly, but surly, the café started to go back to the soft chattering around them.  
  
Again, Eriol was surprised. He hadn't seen this boy in almost 6 years. So to make up for that, he put on his best smile that he reserved only for the boy across from him and said, "Hello my kawaii descendant. How have you been? It's been so long since I last saw you. I'm a bit surprised that you haven't come back to Japan sooner, since Sakura is here."  
  
The boy from across didn't move. Even the old nickname which he hated didn't stir him up inside. Not even Sakura.  
  
"Hiragizawa," he said.  
  
Eriol frowned. Something wasn't right. Or more to the point, something was off. Then he said a name that he hadn't heard of or spoke for about a year. "Syaoran," he breathed.  
  
Then Syaoran flinches. He hadn't been called that name for almost 6 years. It felt strange to be called that name again.  
  
Eriol, for once not taking advantage of his descendant's uncomfortableness, decided to start a conversation.  
  
"So, when did you get back here?"  
  
"Just now," Syaoran answers. "When did you get back?"  
  
Eriol grins. "I got back here about a month ago. There were..... Some busy to take care of. So what about you? What are you doing back here? Going to finally tell Sakura how you really feel?" Inside Eriol smacked himself. If Syaoran did come back to do that, he would only come back to get even more hurt.  
  
"No," Syaoran replies. Then said, "Please don't call me Syaoran anymore or 'your cute little descendant'. I want to be called either Li or Xiao Lang," he said hard. As if Eriol had to do this.  
  
Eriol was half surprised by this. He never would have thought that Syaoran would want him to call him Xiao Lang, his birth name. Only his closest family members did that. And they were all dead. All of the direct descendants of Clow Reed had died. All expect one, Li Xiao Lang. It happened five years ago, when Eriol, Nakuru, and Spinel could no longer feel the auras of most of the members of the Li Clan. They didn't know exactly when but somewhere in July, like it is now. They tried calling to see what had happen and only got the information that all of the direct descendants of Clow Reed had died, expect for Xiao Lang. Of course they tried to go to China to go to the funerals, give their blessings, find out how they died, and to console Xiao Lang. But the indirect descendants refused. They pleaded with them not to come. That they wanted to keep this only within the family. Eriol pointed out that he was family since he is the reincarnation of their ancestor Clow Reed. But they wouldn't budge and said that it was the wish of their Clan leader, Xiao Lang that they would not come here. Eriol then wished to speck with Xiao Lang but he did not want to talk to Eriol. So Eriol hung up and hoped that Xiao Lang would at least call Sakura to tell her. But when Eriol called Sakura a week later in August, she didn't know a thing about what happened. Eriol didn't tell her about the Li Clan, wanting Xiao Lang to tell her himself. But he never did.  
  
"I came here to have few words with you," Xiao Lang said cutting of Eriol's thoughts. Eriol grinned. Maybe now they could talk about what happened when is family died and how he got so strong. It bothered him that Xiao Lang was so strong. Stronger than Sakura. But then again, many people were stronger than Sakura. They just didn't know it.  
  
As if reading Eriol's thoughts, which freak him out, Xiao Lang said, "I came to Japan because you were here. So I could talk to you about your mistake. The mistake that you, Cerberus, and Yue all made."  
  
Eriol was confused. What mistake did he, Kero, and Yue make? Then a girl with green eyes and a pink aura came in his mind. And the question came up in his mind again, what mistake did they make?  
  
Xiao Lang answered before Eriol could ask. "You made someone who should have never been the owner of the cards the Card Mistress."  
  
Eriol looked up in surprised. Sakura not being the rightful Card Mistress? That was hard to image. But it would be able to explain a few things. But it couldn't be right. Clow Reed checked the future to see who would take care of the cards the best. Sakura was it. So how could they make a mistake?  
  
"Don't tell me that you are still jealous that you didn't get to be the Master of the Cards. You already know that I had already picked a Mistress before Clow died," Eriol said at lost and confused.  
  
"You know as well as I do that Sakura is a weak Card Mistress." Xiao Lang shook his head. "And this isn't about me being jealous. I could name at least five people in this café who could beat Sakura in magic and its knowledge." He then pointed to five people which turned out to be nine. "Each one of them is capable in beating her. And that is just sad, since you could beat them all, even them combined." The people he pointed to looked their way and wondered what they were talking about. It wasn't everyday that two powerful sorcerers were obviously talking about several everyday sorcerers. Who were stronger than most, but still. Those two were legends in the past and making.  
  
Xiao Lang was right. Sakura was weak. Eriol knew it. Nakuru and Spinel knew it. Heck even Kero and Yue knew. The only one who didn't know it was Sakura.  
  
Eriol sighed. The facts were clear. But what could he do about? Go back in time and have Sakura fail the judgment like she did the first time?  
  
"She isn't taking responsibility for her duties or her purpose. Why are you, Kero and Yue taking up that job? It is no longer yours, it's hers." Xiao Lang said.  
  
"What do you want me to do? I know her magic is weak but all she needs to do is train a bit and she'll be powerful once again," Eriol said. But he knew that that wasn't the answer to their problems. As having magic and being the Card Mistress, the adventure never ends.  
  
"I already know the reason why you are one of the ones battling some of the sorcerers that want the cards. But I want to hear from your point of view."  
  
Eriol sighed once again. This was the first time in both his lives that he would sigh so many times in one day. When Sakura was younger, she knew that she had to face some sorcerers who were trying to take her cards away because of the power they possessed. That is up until 8 months later after her fight with Eriol. Sorcerers stopped coming to challenge her for about 3 months and Sakura stop training in her magical powers. She was convinced that no sorcerer in his or her right mind would challenge her now since she was the Card Mistress. Kero didn't have the heart to tell her that she wasn't the most powerful there is. She didn't want to be battling sorcerers her whole life. Sakura wanted a normal life. So Kero and Yue gave it to her.  
  
Sure Sakura still had powers and could still summon the cards, but she isn't nearly as powerful as she should be if she continued to train. Eriol, Kero, and Yue wanted her to keep her innocence. But it was a heavy price to pay. They would battle all the sorcerers that wanted the cards while Sakura grew up in a normal life. Tomoyo wasn't too happy about Sakura's decision, but she didn't say anything because she wanted Sakura to be happy.  
  
"I want Sakura to be happy. She told me that she would like to live a normal life. So I told that I would be the one to fight the sorcerers with Kero and Yue. I wanted her to keep her innocence. That is the main reason why I chose her to be the Card Mistress," Eriol said.  
  
Xiao Lang's face hardened. "To keep her innocence?" He spat. "Why does she of all people get to keep her innocence? Why would pick her of all people to be the Card Mistress? Because she was innocence? Because she was so damn nice? Does she even know what her duty as Card Mistress is? Of course not because you, Yue, and Kero all hide it from her. Even Touya knew! But no, you are all sheltering her! What are you trying to protect her from? Life? Because life will be cruel to her once she goes off to college. You can't protect her forever! She may be in her first year of high school but she knows nothing about life, despite what you may want to think."  
  
"What would have me to do? You want me to take the cards away from her? Is that what you want? Take them away from her and give hem to you? The cards love her." Eriol spat back. He knew Xiao Lang was right and it hurt him to know that he really did make a mistake.  
  
"As Card Mistress, it is Sakura's responsibility to defend this realm from the demons. But I bet she doesn't even know about that. That was the whole purpose of creating the cards. What did she think the cards were for? To show the world how powerful Clow Reed was? Pathetic."  
  
"I do not appreciate you talking about Sakura in this manner."  
  
"You know I'm right."  
  
"You've gone cold. Colder than when you were younger."  
  
"Things change."  
  
"Not all things that change should be bad."  
  
Xiao Lang leaned in a little closer to Eriol and had him take a good look at his eyes. Eriol shivered as he saw his eyes. Eyes that spoke of horrors that they shouldn't have seen.  
  
"Yet most are," Xiao Lang said barely above a whisper. Then he leaned back on his chair.  
  
"You saw them. You fought with them. But you are not the one to fight who is supposed to fight with them. Sakura is...." Realization drawn to Eriol. Sakura was too weak. Too innocent. She had no knowledge of what was really out there in the world. He would not blame Sakura even though she is part to blame. The real ones to blame was everyone close to her. Himself, Tomoyo, Touya, their father, Kero, Yue, and maybe more. All tried to protect her from the truth. And the price to pay indeed was heavy. The fact was clear in Xiao Lang's eyes.  
  
"Your family..." Eriol tried saying.  
  
"Dead. In July, on a special day. You know should know how by now. But I don't fully hate her for it."  
  
"But you still love her."  
  
"Of course I do. You know how hard it is not to fall in love with her."  
  
"Yes, but still. I don't know what I would do if I was in your position. I might hate her. And my god, what you must have seen. Xiao Lang, I'm so sorry. I should have never have given Sakura that second chance."  
  
"Stop. What's done is done. I don't fully hate you or Sakura."  
  
"You love her as much as you love her," Eriol mused to himself. Indeed Xiao Lang has changed. But for better or worst, he couldn't tell.  
  
"Are you going to see her?" he asked him.  
  
"No."  
  
"Then you know about her-"  
  
"Yes, her boyfriend. It doesn't matter."  
  
"It must hurt you."  
  
"It doesn't matter."  
  
Eriol frowned. But before he could say anything Xiao Lang cut him off. "You no longer have to worry about Sakura having to fight off the demons. I took care of that."  
  
Eriol was speechless. It was the master or mistress of the Cards whose destiny was to fight the demon from destroying this realm. "How?" he asked.  
  
Xiao Lang gave no response.  
  
"I should've look for the person who would be the best in the job of the master of the cards not taking care of them," Eriol half whispered. He saw his mistake. Sakura took good care of the cards alright. But that doesn't mean that she would do what they were meant to do. Now the cards were weak and haven't been using their power to their fullest in years.  
  
"You also shouldn't have given her power in the first place," Xiao Lang said.  
  
"You know about that?" Eriol asked. No one but himself, Nakuru, Spinel, and Kaho knew.  
  
"Yes. You gave her power and a second chance at the judgment. I know. She had potential but no real power. Sure she could see the future in her dreams as a natural magical power as her birth right, but other than that, she had no other magical power. So you gave it to her."  
  
"Yes, I did."  
  
"That's what is common in the magical world now. There are some people who have lots of power but no potential and others who have no power but great potential."  
  
"There have been a lot of those recently."  
  
"And I know why."  
  
Eriol looked up. It couldn't be because of what he did, didn't? But Xiao Lang never answered.  
  
Eriol buried his head in his hands. "I don't know what to do now," he muttered.  
  
"It'll be clear to you when the time is right," Xiao Lang said.  
  
Eriol smiled. "Since when you give me advice my cute lil descendent?" For the first time in what seemed like years, Xiao Lang smiled. Small as it may be, but it was still a smile.  
  
"I have to go now," he said.  
  
"Now?" Eriol said.  
  
"Yes." But Xiao Lang made no move to get up.  
  
"I hope I get to see you soon."  
  
"Maybe you will," Xiao Lang said still not moving. "Ask Touya, he might catch a glimpse of me one of these days."  
  
"What? Touya? But I thought you two hate each other." Eriol asked confused.  
  
"I don't hate him. Just not like him every much."  
  
'Of course, it's Sakura who you hate' Eriol sadly thought to himself.  
  
"Remember, I don't fully hate her. Nor you. Not everything is what it seems. Even Sakura," A dread passed over Eriol. It wasn't like a shiver, more of a foreboding.  
  
"What is life? To be born to only die," Xiao Lang half whispered and disappeared. It didn't seem like he was talking to Eriol, but he guessed the message was for him. Or at least half for him. And when Xiao Lang disappeared, it wasn't like the blink of an eye and you're gone. More like evaporated or something close to that.  
  
There was no trace that Xiao Lang had been in the café at all. Most of the customers that were here when he came in left already. Eriol never noticed that he had been talking with his descendent for almost an hour. Most of the time they had been lost in thought though.  
  
He started to finish to half eaten slice of cake and tea. He looked at the chair across from him and reached out to touch the sit of it. Cool. Like a person never sat there the whole morning. Then something reached his mind from before. What Xiao Lang had said but he gave no thought about. 'Dead. In July, on a special day.'  
  
It was July now too. July 13 to exact. Eriol gave sad smile and said a short prayer. Not only was Sakura weak, but he himself has gotten weaker in this second life.  
  
Then he got up, put down the amount of money for the bill and walked out. He was going back to his house to pick up Nakuru and Spinel, then to Sakura's house to get all its residents there including a certain moon guardian who is sure to be there, and then to Tomoyo's. They were all going to that English café owned by a sorcerer to have lunch and a big birthday cake. Kero, Spinel, and Yukito would love the cake.  
  
But just before Eriol walked out of the café, he saw the name of the café in the wall: The Wolf's Den. And just as he walked out of the café, the rain stopped and the sun shone brightly. Maybe this was a good sign. 


End file.
